To me, Vegan Moussaka is lasagne without all of that pasta. For this recipe, I have swapped out the ground beef for lentils and diced mushrooms, using all plant based products, I have come up with probably my favourite recipe so far. This dish is warm and comforting, with layered eggplant and potato complemented by a rich tomato, lentil and mushroom meat sauce and topped with a creamy Béchamel.
You are going to fall in love with this dish!
Vegan Moussaka
Moussaka is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in Egypt, the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations. The best-known version in Europe and the Americas is the Greek variant created in the 1920s by Nikolaos Tselementes.To me, Moussaka is lasagne without all of that pasta. For this recipe, I have swapped out the ground beef for lentils and diced mushrooms, using all plant based products, I have come up with probably my favourite recipe so far.This dish is warm and comforting, with layered eggplant and potato complemented by a rich tomato, lentil and mushroom meat sauce and topped with a creamy Béchamel. You are going to fall in love with this dish!
Ingredients
- EGGPLANT
- 2 large eggplant (approx. 1 kg)
- 3 med potatoes peeled and sliced fine into scallops
- 1 tbsp Celtic Sea Salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- "MEAT" SAUCE
- 2 tbsp vegan butter (Nuttelex)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 800 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 g mushrooms diced fine like mince
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed (pre-soaking is optional but lentils may lose their integrity)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cups Massel beef stock (plant-based)
- 1/2 cup passata
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- BECHAMEL
- 4 tbsp vegan butter Nuttelex
- 5 tbsp plain flour
- 2 1/2 cups plant milk Oat or soy works best
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- EXTRAS
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- 1. EGGPLANT & POTATO
- Cut eggplant lengthways into 3/4cm thick slices. Rub a small amount of salt into both sides and place in a colander. Allow 30 min for the eggplant to sweat out some moisture. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture and salt.**Note:** The salt is necessary to extract moisture from the eggplant.
- In a hot pan, fry eggplant in batches in a small amount of olive oil until the slices blacken on both sides. Lay on paper towels and set aside.
- Peel and thinly slice potatoes then lightly steam them until half cooked.
- Put aside in a bowl and cover with cold water.
- 2. "MEAT" SAUCE
- Rinse lentils and quinoa under cold water and drain.
- Heat oil in a large pot over high heat, then cook garlic and onion for about 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring to the boil, cover and then simmer gently for around 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the pot.
- 3. BECHAMEL
- While the meat sauce is simmering, you can make the béchamel and set aside.
- Melt butter in a pan over medium heat then stir in the flour until combined.
- While constantly stirring, add the milk a little at a time then cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens enough to thickly coat a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Cover and set aside.
- 4. ASSEMBLY
- Preheat oven to 180 C
- In a large baking dish, spoon a layer of meat sauce on the bottom then ad a layer of cooked eggplant.
- Spoon another layer of meat sauce then spread a layer of potato evenly until you have used all of it.
- Add another layer of sauce and eggplant. Then use remaining sauce as a final layer.
- Finally, spread the béchamel evenly over top and use the corner of a spatula to texturize the top slightly into small peaks.
- Then place in the oven and cook for around 45 min until golden brown. Allow to stand for five minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Note: Pre-soaking the lentils is optional but could result in a less firm consistency.
